No Longer Me
by Simply Cool
Summary: He's changed. Not in attitude. Not in appearance. After being exiled, and living with two others who come from different tribes, it's deep down. Deep, at his very core, he is no longer him. But Hiccup has two options - Kill, or be killed. It's up to him and his friends, Riders of Dragons, what the fate of all tribes on the Shivering Shores is. 3rd chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

"Five years ago a boy named Hiccup had left a tribe, somewhere on these waters, called Berk. He travels on a dragon that would kill for fun. Neighboring tribes that knew the chief – some said they have seen Hiccup, but not Hiccup.

He's a lot taller than when he left, with muscles to rival Massive Muscled Margaret. Two sword sheaths run down his back, and the swords within them dripped with the poison of a Skrill. Anyone unfortunate enough to touch them, would perish after a long, painful death.

His hair is russet brown, as it had been before, but the ends of it are bright red, stained each week with fresh blood of a Viking. He wears a black coat made from dragon scales. A dragon has been seen with him – and not just any dragon. A Night Fury, no less. It is seven feet long, with teeth as sharp as knives and poisonous. Its eyes are so deadly one look in them and you will die.

He has a group of dragons that he travels with, none as close as the Night Fury, but charmed by him none the less. A Skrill, a Whispering Death, a Changewing, a Timberjack, and all as rare and dangerous as them.

He is raised partially by dragons – he was nothing but a boy when forced to leave. He has nearly forgotten the human language: he speaks in clicks and whistles, and has mastered the shriek of a Thunderdrum, so powerful as to kill a man at close range.

He, only adding to his growing army in the sky, charms any dragons near. He masters the skies on the back of a mythical Night Fury, which obeys him and him only. No one knew how he does it, training dragons without force and threatening. Yet the bond they share is deep within their veins, and they travel far beyond the Shivering Seas.

Hiccup and the Night Fury, my friends, have been leading attacks on Berk. Legend has it that his very father banished him from the tribe, simply for befriending a dragon.

Legend also says that Hiccup loved a girl; she hated him and because of this, his heart is sour and cold; he loves no one but the Night Fury."

Serï leaned forwards in his arm chair, smirking. The children he had been telling his tale to listened silently, eyes wide with fear and trembling in anticipation.

"And you know what?" he said softly, just over the crackling of fire. The children stared at him, hardly daring to breath. "Legend also has it that he travels these very oceans around our island. And, if you're not careful, you might be his next victim."

Silence fell across the group. Serï said loudly, "Right, off to bed!" Everyone jumped.

"But we're Vikings!" Sirena protested. "We don't go to bed!"

Serï took his Viking hat off her head. "Yes, but even Vikings have to sleep. Go on, now." The kids scampered off, the little ones rubbing their eyes and yawning. The eldest, a shy girl named Aèila, lingered.

"Can I help you?" Serï said, standing up. Aèila nodded, rubbing her arm.

"Is the story real?" she asked timidly. Serï rolled his eyes.

"Speak up, lass. I canny hear you." He glanced over at the chief, Treilan, who was gesturing for a word.

"Is it real?" she asked again, a little louder. "The story."

Serï glanced over at her father, Beer-Belly Bob. The man sighed and hefted his axe farther up his shoulder, the scowl on his face deepening as he pressed a meaty hand to her shoulder and dragged her away, ignoring her small squeaks of surprise.

Serï took his stick, hobbling over to his chief. Trielan started to speak.

And as this all happened, a small boy with russet hair, no blood in it whatsoever, still skinny and small, a bow and arrow on his back, on a Night Fury with eyes that were _not _killing anyone, flew away from the Mist Throttlers Great Hall, over the town and towards the remote island no one had ever been to.

Hiccup slid off of Toothless, who nuzzled the boy before moving off towards a group of burnt out sticks. With a burst of white fire, Toothless reignited the long-gone fire.

"Looks like Liv and Eirek are out hunting," Hiccup said thoughtfully. He sat down beside Toothless, leaning his head against the dragon's strong shoulder.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Liv yelled from where she swooped down on Plasma. "CATCH!" She threw down a basket, probably containing the meat they had caught.

Hiccup tried to catch it but ended up falling straight on his face, yelling and waving his arms before getting a mouthful of mud. "Good throw, Livvy," he puffed, blowing a strand of hair out of his eye.

Eirek landed laughing hysterically, falling off Samid. "You- you should've seen the look on your face! BWAHAHAHA!"

Hiccup scowled at him, leaning on Toothless as he stood up. Liv landed with Plasma, chuckling too but trying to hide it.

"Thanks guys," Hiccup said, trying to be angry. "You've now taken my dignity."

Liv scoffed. "Puh-lease. Dignity? I don't think so." Hiccup scowled at that, brushing himself off as he walked back to the fire. Plasma hummed worriedly as she bumped her nose over him, checking for any injuries.

"Hey, I'm ok, Plasma," he smiled, rubbing the Deadly Wind on the head.

Plasma was a deep blue colour, with a gold horn on the top of her head – 'Unicorn gals', Eirek called her and Livvy. She had huge wings that have yet to be measured. Her body was that of a Night Fury, but with longer legs and a shorter body. She had a fierce temper that got them into trouble sometimes, and a reckless attitude as well.

Samid was a Skrill, deep purple and half blind. He was cautious and the most timid of the group, yet he was loyal and strong. He was dark and didn't make much noise, but an excellent flier, one almost to rival Toothless.

Livvy/Liv was tall, slim, long wavy brown hair she scraped back in a ponytail, her eyes the same colour. She had the same reckless attitude as her dragon. She was very quick with using her hands, but she could be very understanding and only those who she loved dearly ever saw how gentle she could be. She had a dangerous past, as did Eirek.

Eirek was tall and wiry, some muscle packed on his bones but not much. He had a golden-red couloured hair, with dark green eyes. He was loud and annoying, constantly trying to hook up with Livvy (he reminded Hiccup of Snotlout in many ways.) With a hilarious sense of humor, he would make them all laugh whenever it was a dark moment.

As they all sat down in their respective places, leaning against their dragons, a peaceful silence fell over them.

Soon the dragons were asleep – not surprising. From all the flying they had been doing recently, well, it would exhaust anyone.

"What were you doing when we were hunting?" Eirek's voice broke the silence. Liv looked up as well, putting her bow down.

Hiccup felt a little uncomfortable. "I just…" He was about to lie, say he just went for a fly, but under the complete trust that he felt from both of them, he found he couldn't lie. "I… went to the Clan near here again. They were telling stories."

Liv glared at him. "You went back there? Hiccup, they could _kill you." _And the promise in her voice said, '_If they don't do it, then I will.' _ Eirek seemed just as angry, saying, "Hiccup, last time you went there Toothless was nearly killed. And so were you. It took a week to bust you guys out of there."

Hiccup winced. "I know! But… they were telling stories…"

Eirek frowned. "Stories? THAT'S WHAT YOU WENT THERE FOR? What is this, _STORY TIME?" _

"_About me."_

Livvy sat forwards. "What about you?" Suddenly Eirek looked less angry. He sat forward, placing the sword he had been gripping in his anger to the floor.

"First they were talking about my life before I was-" For some reason, he found it way too painful to say what happened. Liv thre him a sympathetic glance – she too, had been exiled.

Eirek, who had left on his own accord, was less kind. "Well, get on with it."

Hiccup sighed, rolling his eyes and saying, "Then they were talking about what the Great Legends have come about saying who I am now. Completely wrong. I think they were going to start talking about you guys, but I left too soon."

Liv shrugged. "Ah, we'll talk about this in the morning."

She turned around, tapping the dragon on the wing, and it lifted, the two front arms wrapping around her chest as she lay down beside her dragon. The wings closed back over them. Eirek was soon gone from sight, but distinct snores came from under Samid's wings.

Hiccup looked over at Toothless. His Night Fury opened one eye and cooed gently, opening a wing and inviting him inside. Hiccup smiled and crawled under, feeling the scaly legs wrap around him. Placing his head against the dragon's chest, Hiccup heard the familiar strong beat.

Still alive. Still pumping blood, no matter how hard this life was.

He closed his eyes.

That night, he had dreams.

Of Berk.

**I know, I know. I shouldn't be starting a new story. I will TRY to update this… :D Love you all, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Review!  
**

**Ok! More reviews will give me quicker determination to update. Love you all, **

**Simply Cool xx**


	2. Chapter 2

_Hiccup closed his eyes. All he could see was his father's face, betrayed. Opening them slowly, he looked over at the Night Fury. Toothless was unconscious, bleeding badly from the head. Spitelout, Margaret, and Salèem were holding him down, crushing his wings and muzzle._

_A sob tore through his throat. He stared up into the face of his father, who was showing anger, hate, and terror. _

"_Hiccup," his voice was cold and icy. "You have thrown your lot in with them. You're no Viking. You're not my son."_

_Silence reigned. Hiccup's heart thudded and twisted, breaking and trying to put itself together again. He looked down, took hold of his emotions, and looked back up._

"_That's ok, Stoic," Hiccup answered, regret and hatred in his voice. "I never have been. But really, there's no point in telling me now. I have always known."_

_Stoic's face twisted in a shimmer of emotions, before it hardened. "KILL THE DRAGON!" he yelled, slamming his sword to the ground._

"_NO!" Hiccup screamed, and was surprised when he heard another voice mingle with his own._

"_No, Stoic," Gobber placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Let him and the dragon go."_

_Stoic's face was priceless. "Hiccup is to be exiled!"_

_Gobber nodded. "BUT THE DRAGON GOES WITH HIM."_

_Stoic hissed, spitting at Hiccup, then Gobber. "Fine, but I want _you _gone," He pointed at Hiccup, slamming his finger into the boy's chest. "BY SUNDOWN."_

_Gobber nodded. "Take tae dragon to the Blacksmith," he instructed, pulling Hiccup towards it. Spitelout dragged Toothless by the wing, Hiccup wincing every time he heard the crack of a small bone breaking, or a tendon ripping._

_When they got there Hiccup collapsed on his knees next to Toothless. "Bud! Toothless, buddy, bud, Toothless, Night Fury, WAKE UP!" his breathing was irregular and harsh, as Gobber pulled over a jar of smoking green stuff._

"_Here," Gobber handed Hiccup a spoon. "Make him eat this. It'll wake tae beast up."_

_Hiccup sniffed, taking it and opening Toothless's mouth. He trickled the concoction down his throat, Gobber massaging the dragon's throat to make him swallow._

_Toothless stirred, blinking as Hiccup let out a choked cry. "You're ok!"_

_He wrapped his arms around the groggy dragon's head, Toothless moaning and resting his chin on the boy's shoulder. Hiccup drew away, rubbing Toothless's head. "This is Gobber," he introduced. "He helped save you." _

_Toothless crooned, a bit wary but looked up at the man with gratitude._

"_Bud, we- we have to go."_

_Toothless stood up, shaking his legs, and Hiccup ran to Gobber._

_Gobber didn't respond for a second as his apprentice threw his arms around him. Then, gruffly, he pulled the boy closer. "Ya be careful out there, ok?"_

_Hiccup nodded. "Ok."_

_Stoic burst through. "It's sundown. YOU – GET OUT OF HERE."_

_Hiccup leapt on to Toothless's back, and he glanced over at the crazy man he had once called his father._

_They took off, not missing Stoic's last words:_

"_He's a failure."_

* * *

Liv woke to the sound of whimpering. Rubbing her eyes, she tapped Plasma's wing, and the legs lifted off her. The wings opened, allowing the sun to pour through. Hissing, Liv screwed up her eyes. She stood up, stretching; glancing around, she saw Eirek and Samid were gone.

Toothless gained her attention. He walked over to her, nudging her and cooing. She smiled, rubbing his nose before looking around. "Where's Hiccup?" she asked him. Toothless ducked his head to the edge of the island, where Hiccup was searching through the food bag.

Liv sat down beside Plasma, bringing out her sword. She sharpened it, asking Toothless to blast the end.

"Where's Eirek?" she said as Hiccup came back.

Hiccup shrugged. "He was gone before I woke up."

A shriek echoed through the small clearing. Their heads shot up, and, as they had practiced, the dragons whipped their tails, slamming Hiccup and Liv on to their backs.

Eirek appeared as they flew towards the sound. He was panting and holding his cheek, which was purpled and swollen.

"There's a- thing-" he gasped. Samid was bucking and screeching. "It's a – Thunderdr-"

They were interrupted by a flameball firing past them, nearly throwing Hiccup off Toothless.

Liv took her bow and arrow, noticing Eirek was doing the same. She fired in the direction the fire came from, and a screech of fury came. It threw Eirek off Samid, who dove down and got under him, flapping his wings to regain control. Toothless dove down, helping Samid balance.

In the distance Liv saw a huge, angry black and gold dragon rise. It had an arrow stuck on its wing.

As it came closer, she got a better look at it.

It was black with golden streaks across its back. One eye was blue, the other was white and milky.

"Wow," she breathed. He was the most beautiful dragon she had ever seen. But an atmosphere of hatred and evil came out form him in ripples, almost stunning her

"LIV, MOVE!" Hiccup yelled. Luckily for her, Plasma dove to the side as a blast of sound came the dragon's mouth.

Eirek yelled over the wind, "WE NEED TO FIND SOMEWHERE! HE'S TOO STRONG!"

The dragon whipped around, slamming the spiked tail against Samid's mouth and knocking the dragon out the air. Samid pulled his wings out, shrieking as a tendon ripped from the pull from the wind.

Hiccup caught Eirek as he fell from the sky. Toothless grunted from the extra weight, dipping slightly, as Samid struggled to regain control over the wind.

The panicking Skrill's body became see-through as the blue lightning flickered through, making the air turn static and everyone's hair bush up.

"SAMID!" Eirek yelled. The Thunderdrum was diving after the Skrill, the fire rumbling up it's body.

Liv watched in horror, her hands working before her as she took aim and shot another arrow. It hit the wing of the Thunderdrum, making it screech and flap indignantly. It gave Samid the time to right himself, turning and shooting his white fire straight into the big dragon's face.

Toothless growled loudly, and the dragons turned, ignoring their riders, and swooped off to Odin Knows Where. Liv yelled at Plasma and kicked her side, Hiccup doing the same to Toothless, but they kept going, Samid right behind them.

"PLASMA STOP!" She yelled. The dragon ignored her, and she ducked her head as they passed a tree. With a jolt she realized they were dropping.

The dragons stopped, into a cove it looked like.

Livvy looked around, frowning she slid off Plasma. Eirek was checking over Samid, who was looking a bit shaken but fine.

Then she heard a gasp. Turning, she saw Hiccup, frozen, in front of Toothless. He turned around, back to his dragon, his eyes watering slightly. "YOU SAID YOU'D NEVER TAKE ME BACK HERE!" he screamed. His body shook as tears started pouring down his cheeks. "WHY DID YOU – HOW COULD YOU?"

Eirek looked over at Liv, a little alarmed. She was watching with wide eyes.

"_Why?" _Toothless ducked his head over Hiccup's shoulders when he had collapsed on himself, shivering.

Sobs tore through his form as Toothless hummed an apology, rumbles soothing the boy into silent crying.

Liv bit her lip. She was shaken – what was it about this place that made Hiccup like this? She watched Toothless curl his tail around the boy who was trembling against his neck, taking his head away and pull open his wings, giving them privacy.

She and Eirek respected it, turning away and looking over Samid.

Where _were _they?

* * *

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**Simply Cool xx**


	3. Chapter 3

The warrior crouched in the bushes. Her eyes lit up as she spotted the beasts, humans with them. Stupid, she thought coldly. Why would you come back?

Half of her mind told her to jump off and hack her way through the dragons, then kill the two companions. She would take the main one back to their Tribe, where they would be forced to help them.

Half starved from no eating and hunger for blood reigned her mind as she gripped the handle of her axe, a wild look in her eyes. A deep chuckle came from within her as her eyes roved the scene.

The dragon she had loved the look of the most, one she would love to cut its head off, was the Skrill. It was a deadly, beautiful looking creature that made her want to scream.

"It's almost time," she whispered.

The Skrill's wing was bent, she could see. The girl and boy were trying to set it, with little success. The Skrill was obviously getting bored of this, and his body flickered, blue lightning shining over its skin, as the two humans flew back, sitting up and laughing as they clutched their stomachs.

The warrior wanted nothing more than to kill, but she bit her lip, drawing blood.

The boy and Night Fury - Gods, it was a beauty - walked over, and the others stopped laughing, before he started laughing, and then they all joined in, falling to the ground and clutching their stomachs like they were going into labour.

A strange feeling crept into the warrior's belly. She hissed, trying to shake it away, then realised what it was.

Jealousy. She wanted to be there. Laugh. But she hadn't laughed in a long time. She hadn't thought for a long time.

She had to train. Then tell the tribe. Then train. Then kill. And kill. And kill.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

After they had finished one of their rare laughing spells, the humans turned to questions.

Toothless moaned guiltily, casting a look at Hiccup who glared back at him.

'_Where are we?' _Samid looked at him, his wings twitching as he shifted nervously.

Plasma glared at him. '_What did you do now?' _

Toothless shrugged, moving his head on to his paws and closing his eyes. '_Go away.' _Odin above, these dragons were annoying. Out of all the dragons Liv and Eirek had to bond with, it had to be these two.

'_No,' _Plasma sat down in front of him, glaring at him with her yellow eyes. '_We won't go away till you tell us where we are.'_

'_Yeah,' _Samid lay down beside her. '_Tell us _now.'

Toothless sighed. He really wanted to slice their heads off, before he caught sight of the glint of metal. His head shot up and he growled threateningly, his wings rising slightly.

Samid narrowed his eyes. '_What?' _

Plasma flapped her wings, a low snarl echoing in her throat. Samid's body flickered, turning to lightning momentarily, and his powerful claws dug to the ground.

'_Another human,' _Plasma hissed.

'_We must get them, quickly,' _Toothless growled. The hackles on his back rose, stiffening.

Plasma, the most fearless, flapped and with one thrust was on the top of the hill. '_Quick! They're getting away!'_

Samid followed, and Toothless leapt from rock to rock, grunting and hissing as he did so.

He heard Eirek shout, followed by Liv and Hiccup, but ignored them. The dragons, not flying, but sprinting, for Toothless's sake, tore through the forest, gaining on the retreating figure like Bees to Honey.

Plasma shrieked, flapping her wings and skidded in front of a figure. She leapt, using her powerful paws to bat the human back, who flipped and landed on their feet.

Samid shot his white fire at them, and they rolled, right towards Plasma, hacking their axe. Blood sprayed into the air as she caught the dragon on the head, cutting into the skull. Plasma yelped, flying backwards and landing a heap, moaning.

Samid hissed in fury. He brought his claws up, to be stopped with an expert parry with the axe. A snarl of pain echoed through the clearing as the blade cut into the soft flesh on the underside of his paw. He flapped his wings, a terrible gust of wind flowing through and lightning flickering as he brought his tail down towards the human, who somersaulted and escaped.

Toothless saw red. He leapt forwards, slamming the human into the rocks, who twisted as they did, landing on their shoulder and stabbing him through the stomach, drawing it out painfully and slowly.

Toothless moaned, digging his claws farther into the human's skin.

He looked at their face.

He froze.

Oh gods.

Mighty Thor strike him dead now.

It was _her._

He could see she recognized him too. Her eyes wandered his face, fear and horror screaming on every feature. He tried to make himself crush her dead, but he couldn't. His eyes closed as a silent sigh blew from his mouth, making her hair fly back.

Looking up at her again, he watched her look down at his stomach, a little bit of horror in her eyes as she looked back up at him. But then her eyes hardened, and she gripped the leg holding her down tighter, immense strength and long fingernails digging into him.

He slid off, and with a wary eye, she stood up, retrieving the axe.

Toothless closed his eyes, knowing she could kill him now. The girl's eyes flickered between her axe and the Night Fury, then to the Skrill watching behind him.

Her hard eyes glared at him, as if saying, '_A life for a life. Now get off of my island.'_

Toothless could practically hear Samid's jaw drop behind him. Closing his eyes, he let the anger, regret, and sadness wash over him for a second.

'_Why didn't you kill her?' _he asked. Toothless shook his head, looking at the ground. '_Why not?' _he pressed. There was no anger or blame in his voice, just disappointment and confusion.

'_History.'_

Then the pain hit him. He whined pathetically and nearly collapsed, but Samid supported him with his shoulder. Limping over to Plasma, they tried to wake the unconscious dragon. Samid hissed as he looked over her head wound, glaring at where the girl had been, now only an imprint of the boots they wear.

'_She hit her at the weak spot.'_

Toothless nodded. He averted his eyes from the part of her head just behind her ear flaps, which was hacked mainly open, instead concentrating on the eyes.

He willed her to wake up.

Plasma's eyes opened. A shriek ripped through her before he could stop her. Samid held down her legs and she writhed; the Skrill was calling for Toothless to help.

Toothless settled down beside her head, resting it on the ground, near hers, and purred soothingly. She stopped, trembling.

'_H-hurts,' _she whispered, her eyes darting.

Toothless nodded, touching her nose with his own gently. '_I know, I know. I need you to stand up. Me and Samid will help you, too. Come on.'_

Samid let go of her legs carefully, nudging her up with his nose. She stood leaning on his shoulder, and Toothless limped on ahead of them, knowing that if they didn't get to their humans soon, they would be dead.

His head was spinning and bile was rising up his throat. His insides felt like they were shredding themselves, and his breathing was getting harder. Behind he could hear Samid struggling to help them both, and Plasma was slowing rapidly.

They reached the cove. Toothless looked down to see their three humans, Eirek sharpening his sword and the others asleep.

He let out a loose shriek. Pulling out his wings, he glided down, landing on his back as to not upset his wounds.

Plasma skidded across the ground, whimpers escaping her throat. It hurt Toothless to see the so proud Deadly Wind, now a whimpering mess.

Eirek got up. Muttering, he immediately sprung into action.

Samid, who had been a healer in his old Clan – thank Thor for that – started staunching Toothless's wounds with a blanket that had been covering Liv and Hiccup.

'_How deep does it go?' _Toothless asked, slumping on to his side. The fire seemed to die a little.

Samid pressed with his paws, earning a little hiss. _'Not too deep,' _he reassured. '_It will heal in a couple of days. It pierced a vein, though. You've lost a lot of blood so you will feel weak and helpless for a couple of days.'_

'_Thanks,' _Toothless grunted. Samid slumped down in front of him.

'_I don't know about Plasma, though,' _he said, a little more depressed. '_She lost more blood than you, and it was her weak point. She is in a very bad state.'_

'_Well go help her then!' _Toothless hissed, trying to stand but failed miserably.

'_I can't,' _Samid flopped down. '_Eirek will push me away.'_

Toothless felt a stir of pity at the misery in his voice. Out of all the dragons and their riders, Eirek and Samid had the weakest bond. They barely acknowledged each other, and when they did, it was only when they flew together or sleeping.

'_How is… it working?' _Toothless asked carefully. He half expected Samid to snap at him or turn away, but the Skrill just sighed. He sat down, glancing reproachfully over at the boy pressing against Plasma's head.

'_Not good.' _Samid scraped the ground with his foot. _'I… he… it's not working. I can't… connect.'_

Toothless fought for something to say. After a brief moment of silence, weakly he offered, '_It'll get better.'_

'_No it _won't!' Samid turned on him, a snarl raising his lips and fire burning in his eyes. '_Just – don't tell me that, because then I'll get hopeful, and then I'll be crushed! IT'S NOT GOING TO GET BETTER!'_

Samid turned, snarling. He raised his wings and glided over the lake, towards a rock where he lay down, his back to them all.

Eirek, apparently ignoring the outburst, which would have sounded like a bunch of snarls and hisses to him, walked over to Toothless. "Where's the injury?" he said, not asking, demanding. Toothless raised his wing, exposing his unprotected belly.

Eirek frowned. "It's all patched up! Who did this?"

Toothless wanted so badly to say, '_It was Samid. He fixed it, just like you helped Plasma.'_

He didn't know how he could show him. Toothless shook his head, glancing over at Plasma.

Hiccup and Liv woke soon after that, and Eirek hadn't even bothered to check Samid over for injuries.

"Toothless!" Hiccup yelled. He collapsed on his knees beside the Night Fury, lifting up the wing. Toothless hissed a little in protest, and Hiccup winced.

"Sorry, bud. Oh, gods. That's horrible." Toothless purred, nosing Hiccup gently.

"I am so, so sorry for yelling at you. It wasn't your fault – you had to."

Toothless sighed. '_It's ok Hiccup. I understand.'_

"PLASMA!" Hiccup jumped when he heard Liv's terrified shout. He turned and paled when he saw the dragon. Toothless looked at her too, properly, and bile rose in his stomach.

Her deep blue scales were faded and some were missing. Her head was a deep purple, signifying the layer of dried blood.

Her eyes were half open, moving faintly between Liv and the ground.

"Are you ok, girl?" she whispered, moving her hand along the dragon's face. A faint rumble echoed from Plasma's chest, before her eyes slid closed and she dropped into unconsciousness.

Toothless felt his rider place a hand on the Night Fury's face, and his eyes closed as he dropped off to oblivion.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiccup watched Eirek sit down by the fire. An awkward silence followed, until Hiccup broke it.

"Is Samid ok?"

Eirek glanced up grumpily. "How should I know?"

At that point Toothless shuddered and moaned, before falling still again.

Hiccup glanced over at Liv, who was crouched beside Plasma's head. The girl was trembling slightly as she took in the dragon's head wound. She was in 'delayed shock' as Eirek had said.

"He is your dragon."

Eirek glared at him. "He sure doesn't act like it."

"Well maybe that's your fault!" Hiccup snapped. His tolerance was very thin, and Eirek was just about to snap it.

Eirek gave him a withering look. "If he wanted to be what Toothless is to you, and Plasma is to Liv, then he should..."

"Should what? Wait for your approval? Do everything he can to please you, then be thrown away like a dead rabbit?" Tears sprung to Hiccup's eyes. "Because then I will understand him! That's the STORY OF MY LIFE!" It was stupid of him to get upset over this, but a protective instinct for the Skrill was raging inside him.

Eirek, apparently just as angry, stood up to yell down at him. "WELL I REALLY DON'T GIVE A THOUGHT IN HEL TO YOUR LIFE!"

Hiccup stood up, shouting in his face, "ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE EASIEST LIFE OUT OF ALL OF US!"

Eirek's voice pulsed with fury. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH!"

"WELL NEITHER DO YOU! I GOT DISOWNED BY MY OWN FATHER, MY BEST FRIENDS TURNED AGAINST ME, I WAS AN OUTCAST IN MY OWN TRIBE!"

"THAT'S NOT MY BLOODY PROBLEM! YOU CAN'T TELL PEOPLE A STORY THEN EXPECT THEM TO COME RUNNING TO YOU! SAMID IS NOTHING MORE THAN A WORTHLESS PILE OF SCALES!"

"SHUT IT!" A scream of pure fury silenced them both. Liv stalked up to both of them, shaking with anger. "HOW - DARE - YOU," she pointed at Eirek. "JUDGE HIM, AND NOT CARE ABOUT WHAT HE'S BEEN THROUGH! AND YOU," she turned to Hiccup, "DON'T PRETEND TO KNOW WHAT OTHERS LIFE HAS BEEN LIKE!

She stormed back to Plasma, sitting down and bringing out her sword. She grabbed a stone from the ground and sharpened it furiously.

Hiccup threw a glare at Eirek, who returned it. "I'm going to go check on Samid," he spat, standing up and walking towards the Skrill.

Eirek narrowed his eyes. "Please. Be my guest."

Hiccup stormed to Samid, who stared up at him with milky eyes.

"Hey, Samid," Hiccup said. The Skrill moaned, running a tongue over the serrated teeth. "You ok?"

Samid nudged Hiccup with his nose.

_'You and Toothless are lucky.'_

Hiccup stumbled back. "Whoa. Who was that?"

_'Me.'_ Samid gave him a look.

"H-how?" Hiccup stammered.

Samid shrugged. _'Part of the Skrill's power. We can communicate with another species when us and another come to mutual understanding and respect.'_

Hiccup blinked. "Can the other dragons do this?"

Samid stared at the ground. _'Personally, I don't know. But I would guess it would be about the same for them. They would have to respect and understand you equally.'_

"Then why hasn't Toothless..?" Hiccup trailed off.

Samid looked over at Toothless. _'Night Furies are an ancient breed, older than the Sea Dragons themselves. They have their own complex language and meanings.'_

Hiccup's heart broke. "So... He doesn't respect or understand me?"

Samid stared at him with faint amusement in his eyes. _'Oh, yes. He thinks the world of you. Loves you, respects you, understands you more than you understand yourself.'_

Hiccup frowned. "Then why can't I speak to him?"

_'Oh, it's quite simple,_' Samid said. '_You haven't bonded.'_

His frown deepened. Bonded? "What do you mean, bonded?"

Samid gestured for Hiccup to sit down beside him. Hiccup did so, and was surprised when Samid curled around him. The Skrill glanced anxiously up at him. _'Sorry. I rarely get to do this to Eirek.'_

"That's ok," Hiccup felt a stir of pity. "I never got to show my father affection either."

Samid sighed. _'That's something we both have in common._ _Anyway, being bonded is when dragon and rider commit oneself to each other. They swear to guard each other's life with their own. They merge souls. Become one inside two bodies.'_

Hiccup thought about it. "How do you become 'bonded'?"

_'It's not easy. For only those with the strongest relationship, the deepest will to survive. And not just survive. Survive for each other. It is painful. Terrible. Could kill both you and your dragon. But if you make it, it's the best thing. My mother was a bonded dragon.'_

"So that's why you were the only Skrill willing to go with a human," Hiccup realised.

Samid nodded. _'Indeed. But it was not what I thought.'_

"I'm sorry about how Eirek treats you," Hiccup said quietly.

Samid turned his head away. _'It's not your fault.'_

Hiccup stayed silent, not wanting to provoke the Skrill into talking if he didn't feel like it.

_'What would he do if I left?'_ Samid asked suddenly.

Hiccup stared at him. From the tone of his voice, he could tell he wasn't joking. "You've put a lot of thought into this," Hiccup replied. Samid stayed silent, never shifting his milky eyes. "Honestly? I think he would be terrified. Guilty. But he would get over it quickly."

_'I'm thinking about it_,' Samid growled so quietly Hiccup barely heard. _'I can't do this much longer.'_

Hiccup bit his lip. "I felt the same."

_'And they're also calling_,' he said, with a faint shimmer in his eyes. '_And Freyja will be waiting.'_

"Freyja?"

_'My mate. She's waiting for me.'_

"Oh, man. You had to leave her?"

_'I had no choice.'_

Hiccup wiped his hand over his eyes. A choked sob forced out of him. "T-that's horrible," he hid his face in his hands. "I'm s-so sorry."

Samid said nothing, just stared up at the sky. _ 'You know,' _he said thoughtfully, _'Every star is a dragon spirit.'_

"Whu.. What?"

'I_t is part of dragon tradition,' _he said, _'No matter what species, to learn all the stars in the sky. I can see my mother up there, playing with her human.'_

Hiccup stared up too, and as he did, he thought he saw a shimmering image of a girl and dragon, dancing through the stars.

**Hey guys! There's a hard-worked chapter for you. I have about a billion drafts clogging up my computer. First I was gonna do this, then that, and I couldn't decide! Sorry if there are any mistakes – I did this on my phone, and autocorrect's a brat ;) **

**Review! It will make me so happy! (Also PM me if you have some request for the next chapter)**

**Hiccup: Why have I got to be depressed?**

**Me: Quit your moaning. I gave you the power to talk to dragons.**

**Hiccup: You mean just Samid, and he's so grumpy. Let me talk to Toothless!**

**Me: No.**

**Hiccup: I better, because you know how Sa-**

**Me: GET HIM BEFORE HE RUINS THE PLOT! Oh… right. I can vanish him!**

**Hiccup: You wouldn't da-**

**VANISH.**

**Simply Cool**

**Simply Cool is out!**


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